なんとか means 'somehow, barely, managing to.' Option 1 uses it correctly: 'It was a difficult exam, but I somehow managed to pass.' The nuance is that success was uncertain but achieved through effort or luck.
2なんとかいいことがありそうな気がする — Here the intended meaning is 'for some reason I feel like something good will happen,' which calls for なんとなく (vaguely, for some reason), not なんとか. なんとか implies effort or difficulty, not a vague feeling.
3あの人はなんとか好きになれない — The intended meaning is 'I just can't bring myself to like that person,' which requires どうしても (no matter what, simply cannot). なんとか doesn't convey this sense of impossibility.
4近ごろなんとか胃の調子がおかしい — The intended meaning is 'Lately I feel like my stomach is off,' which again calls for なんとなく (vaguely/somehow). なんとか doesn't fit a vague sensation.
なんとか — somehow, barely, managing to (with nuance of overcoming difficulty)
なんとなく — for some reason, vaguely, somehow (without clear reason)
どうしても — no matter what, simply cannot (with negative)
2.極端
1極端なダイエットはからだに悪い。
2あの人は、大好きか大嫌いかで中間がない。極端的だ。
3南極と北極は地球の極端だ。
4極端ぶって過激なことばかりする。
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Answer: 1. 極端なダイエットはからだに悪い。
極端（きょくたん）is a na-adjective/noun meaning 'extreme.' Option 1 uses it correctly as a na-adjective modifying a noun: 極端なダイエット = 'an extreme diet.'
2極端的だ — 極端 is already a na-adjective; there is no form 極端的. The correct expression would be 極端だ (it's extreme). Adding 的 is incorrect.
3南極と北極は地球の極端だ — 極端 means 'extreme' in an abstract sense (extreme opinions, extreme measures), not a physical endpoint or pole. The North/South Poles are 極（きょく）or 極点, not 極端.
4極端ぶって — 極端ぶる (pretending to be extreme) is not an established expression. One might say 極端な態度をとる (take an extreme attitude), but ぶる cannot attach to 極端 this way.
極端 — extreme (na-adjective/noun)
極端な — extreme (modifying a noun)
3.ぼつぼつ
1きょうは一日何もしないでぼつぼつした。
2ぼつぼつ映画が始まった。
3日曜日の公園ではぼつぼつと人が散歩していた。
4ぼつぼつ始めましょう。
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Answer: 4. ぼつぼつ始めましょう。
ぼつぼつ means 'it's about time to…' or 'gradually/little by little.' Option 4 is the classic usage: ぼつぼつ始めましょう = 'It's about time we got started.' It expresses that the appropriate time to begin has arrived.
1きょうは一日何もしないでぼつぼつした — ぼつぼつ does not mean 'to idle' or 'to do nothing.' The intended meaning might be 'lazed around,' which would use ごろごろした or だらだらした, not ぼつぼつ.
2ぼつぼつ映画が始まった — ぼつぼつ is used to say 'it's about time to do X' (future-oriented), not to describe something that has already started. One could say ぼつぼつ映画が始まる頃だ (it's about time the movie starts), but not ぼつぼつ映画が始まった.
3日曜日の公園ではぼつぼつと人が散歩していた — The intended meaning is 'people were walking here and there / sporadically,' which calls for ちらほらと (sporadically, here and there). ぼつぼつと does not describe scattered distribution.
ぼつぼつ — it's about time to…; gradually, little by little
ちらほら — here and there, sporadically, in small numbers
4.とぐ
1くもっためがねをはずして、ハンカチでといだ。
2うちの包丁はといであるからよく切れる。
3からだをといで筋肉をつけた。
4感覚がにぶらないように、いつもといしておかないといけない。
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Answer: 2. うちの包丁はといであるからよく切れる。
とぐ（研ぐ）means 'to sharpen (a blade)' or 'to polish.' Option 2 is correct: うちの包丁はといであるからよく切れる = 'Our kitchen knife has been sharpened, so it cuts well.' とぐ is the standard verb for sharpening knives, scissors, etc.
1くもっためがねをはずして、ハンカチでといだ — For wiping fogged glasses, the correct verb is ふく（拭く, to wipe）, not とぐ. とぐ is for sharpening/polishing blades, not for wiping lenses.
3からだをといで筋肉をつけた — The intended meaning is 'I trained my body and built muscle,' which requires きたえる（鍛える, to train/forge). とぐ is not used for physical training.
4感覚がにぶらないように、いつもといしておかないといけない — While とぐ can metaphorically mean 'to sharpen (senses),' the natural expression is 感覚を研ぎ澄ます（けぎすます, to sharpen one's senses). Saying いつもといしておく for senses is not standard usage and sounds unnatural.
とぐ — to sharpen (a blade); to polish
拭く — to wipe
鍛える — to train, to forge
研ぎ澄ます（とぎすます） — to sharpen (senses, awareness)
5.わざわざ
1となりの席の子どもがわざわざ私の足を踏んだ。
2電話がないので、わざわざと公衆電話で電話をする。
3あんなつまらない本をわざわざ買うことはない。
4友だちはわざわざ近所まで来たのに、寄ってくれなかった。
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Answer: 3. あんなつまらない本をわざわざ買うことはない。
わざわざ means 'going out of one's way, taking special trouble to do something.' Option 3 is correct: あんなつまらない本をわざわざ買うことはない = 'There's no need to go out of your way to buy such a boring book.' It emphasizes that making a special effort is unnecessary.
1となりの席の子どもがわざわざ私の足を踏んだ — For a deliberately annoying/harmful action, the correct word is わざと (intentionally, on purpose). わざわざ carries a nuance of making effort for someone's benefit or a worthwhile purpose, not for mischievous acts.
2電話がないので、わざわざと公衆電話で電話をする — Two problems: (1) わざわざ does not take the particle と; (2) the sentence structure is unnatural. One would say わざわざ公衆電話まで行って電話をする (go out of one's way to a public phone to call).
4友だちはわざわざ近所まで来たのに、寄ってくれなかった — わざわざ implies the person made a special effort with a specific purpose (e.g., to visit). If the friend came to the neighborhood but did not visit, it suggests the visit was not the purpose of the trip, making わざわざ inappropriate. The sentence is contradictory: if they came specifically to visit, they would have visited.
わざわざ — going out of one's way, taking special trouble (implies effort for a worthwhile purpose)
わざと — intentionally, on purpose (often for negative/mischievous actions)
6.かれる······でてこなくなる。
1この井戸は昔から水がかれたことがない。
2花瓶の花がかれた。
3彼は最近かれた演技ができるようになってきた。
4かれた草に火がついて火事になった。
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Answer: 1. この井戸は昔から水がかれたことがない。
The tested word is 枯れる（かれる）, and the given definition is 「出てこなくなる」—specifically the sense of a source (well, spring) drying up so that water no longer comes out. Option 1, 「この井戸は昔から水がかれたことがない」('This well has never run dry'), uses 枯れる exactly in this sense: the well's water has never stopped flowing. This matches the definition perfectly.
2花瓶の花がかれた means the flowers in the vase 'withered.' Here 枯れる means plants losing vitality and drying up—not a source 'no longer producing/outputting.' This is a different sense of the same kanji word.
3かれた演技 ('withered/matured acting') uses 枯れる in the figurative sense of something becoming refined or seasoned through age/experience. It does not mean 'stop coming out.'
4かれた草 ('dried/withered grass') uses 枯れる to mean vegetation has dried out. While related, it describes the state of dead plants, not a source ceasing to produce output.
枯れる — to wither (plants); to dry up (a well/spring); to become refined/matured (figurative)
7.先······その時より後、将来。
1この先は通行止めだ。
2こんな成績では、先が思いやられる。
3先の地震では大きな被害を受けた。
4荷物の送り先をまちがえた。
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Answer: 2. こんな成績では、先が思いやられる。
The tested word is 先（さき）, defined here as 「その時より後、将来」('after that time, the future'). Option 2, 「こんな成績では、先が思いやられる」('With grades like these, the future is worrisome'), uses 先 to mean 'the future / what lies ahead in time.' This matches the definition exactly.
1この先は通行止めだ means 'Beyond this point the road is closed.' Here 先 means 'ahead / further along (in space),' not 'the future.'
3先の地震では… means 'In the recent/past earthquake…' Here 先 means 'recent / a short time ago (in the past),' the opposite of the given definition.
4荷物の送り先 means 'the destination (address) for the parcel.' Here 先 means 'destination / place to send something to,' not 'the future.'
先 — ahead; future; destination; tip/point; recent/past (depending on context)
8.さっぱり······あとに何も残らない様子。
1山頂に立った瞬間、いままでの苦労はさっぱり消えてしまった。
2仕事にはさっぱりした服装で行ったほうがいい。
3暖冬でストーブの売れ行きはさっぱりだ。
4暑い日はさっぱりしたものが食べたくなる。
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Answer: 1. 山頂に立った瞬間、いままでの苦労はさっぱり消えてしまった。
The tested word is さっぱり, defined here as 「後に何も残らない様子」('leaving nothing behind; completely gone/cleared'). Option 1, 「いままでの苦労はさっぱり消えてしまった」('all my past hardships completely vanished'), uses さっぱり to mean 'completely / entirely, with nothing remaining.' This matches the definition.
2さっぱりした服装 means 'neat, clean, uncluttered clothing.' Here さっぱり means 'tidy/simple in appearance,' not 'leaving nothing behind.'
3ストーブの売れ行きはさっぱりだ means 'sales of stoves are completely flat/poor.' Here さっぱり(だ) means 'not at all / completely (negative outcome),' a different usage.
4さっぱりしたものが食べたくなる means 'I want to eat something light/refreshing.' Here さっぱり means 'light and refreshing (taste),' not 'leaving nothing behind.'
さっぱり — completely (nothing left); neat/tidy; refreshing/light; not at all (with negative)
9.ひびく······影響する。
1卒業式の時の校長先生の言葉は胸にひびいた。
2このマンションの廊下は音がひびくので、静かに歩いてください。
3野菜の値上がりは、家計にひびく。
4彼の画家としての評判は世界中になりひびいている。
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Answer: 3. 野菜の値上がりは、家計にひびく。
The tested word is 響く（ひびく）, defined here as 「影響する」('to affect, to have an impact'). Option 3, 「野菜の値上がりは、家計にひびく」('Rising vegetable prices affect the household budget'), uses 響く to mean 'to have an impact/affect something.' This matches the definition perfectly.
1胸にひびいた means '(the words) resonated/stri home in my heart.' Here 響く means 'to emotionally move/resonate,' not 'to affect' in the sense of influence.
2廊下は音がひびく means 'sound echoes/reverberates in the hallway.' Here 響く means 'to reverberate/echo (sound),' the literal acoustic sense.
4評判は世界中になりひびいている means 'his reputation resounds/echoes throughout the world.' Here 響く means 'to resound/be widely known,' not 'to affect.'
響く — to reverberate/echo (sound); to emotionally resonate; to affect/have an impact; to be widely known
10.従う······沿って進む。
1国王に従って外国を訪問した。
2川の流れに従って歩いていくと、森に着く。
3医者の指示の従って、手術を受けることにした。
4年をとるに従って、足が弱くなる。
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Answer: 2. 川の流れに従って歩いていくと、森に着く。
The tested word is 従う（したがう）, defined here as 「沿って進む」('to follow along, to proceed along something'). Option 2, 「川の流れに従って歩いていくと、森に着く」('If you walk following along the river's flow, you reach the forest'), uses 従う to mean 'to follow along / proceed along a path or course.' This matches the definition of physically following along something.
1国王に従って外国を訪問した means 'accompanied the king on a visit abroad.' Here 従う means 'to accompany/obey a person,' not 'to proceed along a route.'
3医者の指示の従って contains a grammatical error: it should be 指示に従って (with に, not の). Even setting that aside, 従う here means 'to follow/comply with instructions,' not 'to proceed along a path.' The incorrect particle の is an intentional distractor.
4年をとるに従って means 'as one grows older.' Here 〜に従う is a grammar pattern meaning 'as…progresses / in proportion to,' not 'to proceed along a physical route.'
従う — to obey/comply with; to accompany; to follow along (a path/route); as…progresses (〜に従って)
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